Steven Naismith

Early life and career

Naismith was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire and grew up in nearby Stewarton in East Ayrshire. He played for local boys club team Stewarton Annick before being on the books at Rangers as a youngster. Naismith overcame dyslexia and has since become an ambassador for the Dyslexia Scotland charity.

Kilmarnock

Naismith played several years in the Kilmarnock youth team before signing professionally in August 2002. He made his senior debut in the 2003–04 season as a substitute against Hibernian on 24 April 2004, but still continued to play for the under-19s side, with whom he won the Scottish Youth Cup, beating Rangers 1–0 at Rugby Park. He scored his first senior goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Heart of Midlothian in February 2005. In the 2005–06 season his performances won him the SPL Young Player of the Month award in August and January and the SPL Player of the Month award in March of the 2005–06 season. He signed a new four-year contract extension, and went on to win the Scottish Football Writers'Young Player of the Year award, after scoring twelve goals during the season. He scored his first professional hat-trick in a 3–0 Scottish League Cup semi-final victory over Falkirk. He won the SPL Young Player of the Month award in March 2007, and then the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season. In August 2007, following bids from both Rangers and Celtic as well as a reported submission and then withdrawal of a…

After Naismith retired from playing in June 2021, he was appointed player development manager by Hearts. Naismith also joined the coaching staff of the Scotland national team. He became manager of the Hearts 'B' team in 2022, and was appointed interim manager of their first team in April 2023. Naismith was appointed on a permanent basis in June 2023, but was given the job title of technical director as he had not yet achieved the required UEFA coaching licences in order to represent the club in European competition (this role was taken by Frankie McAvoy). In September 2023, a week after Hearts had been eliminated from the Europa Conference League, Naismith was made head coach and McAvoy his assistant. On 22 September 2024, Naismith was sacked as manager of Hearts, along with his assistants McAvoy and Gordon Forrest. Hearts were sat bottom of the Scottish Premiership with only a single point gained from their first six matches, and having lost their prior eight games in a row in all competitions. Naismith rejoined the coaching staff of the Scotland national team in August 2025. On 24 August 2026, Naismith was announced as the assistant manager of the Scotland national under-21 football team alongside new manager Tony Docherty.

Naismith is an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland. He has also launched a scheme to help ease the progress of injured ex-service personnel back into work, and supports centres for homeless people in Glasgow and in Liverpool (notably the city's Whitechapel Centre). In August 2014, he donated tickets for Everton matches to be distributed via Liverpool jobcentres to unemployed people actively looking for work.

Club

International

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Naismith goal.